Bush states the obvious -- and that's unusual in diplomacy

By Aussiegirl

Here's an interesting development:

President Bush told Lithuanian TV that Belarus is the "last remaining dictatorship in Europe" and that the United States will work with countries in the region to ensure that the next elections there are free.
The former Soviet republic is run by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.

. . . During a visit to Lithuania two weeks ago, Secretary of State Condoleezza met with Belarusian dissidents and called for change in Belarus, which Lukashenko has ruled for 11 years.

. . . Russia denied Thursday that it illegally annexed the Baltic nations in 1940.

"One cannot use the term 'occupation' to describe those historical events," said Sergei Yastrzhembsky, Russia's point man on relations with the European Union.

"At that time, the troop deployment took place on an agreed basis and with the clearly expressed agreement of the existing authorities in the Baltic republics," Yastrzhembsky said in Moscow.

Lithuanian state television said Bush praised Lithuania for its support in bringing Ukraine on a path to democracy and said he expects the Baltic country to help ensure free elections in neighboring Belarus.